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ANNUAL REPORT 2012

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

1. Introduction

2. Key developments and trends in interparliamentary cooperation

2.1. The first Interparliamentary Conference for Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP)

2.2. The first yellow card on a Commission proposal

2.3. The role of Parliaments in the Union's new economic governance

3. Institutional parliamentary cooperation

3.1. The Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs (COSAC)

3.2. The Conference of Speakers of the Parliaments of the EU (EUSC)

3.3. Relations with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)

4. Interparliamentary meetings

4.1. Interparliamentary Committee Meetings (ICM) - more focused exchanges between experts

4.2. Bilateral visits - a flexible and efficient formula

4.3. Videoconferencing - technology for ad-hoc dialogue

5. The "early warning mechanism"- Protocol No 2 to the Treaty of Lisbon

6. Tools for exchanging information and networking

6.1. Interparliamentary EU information exchange - IPEX

6.2. European Centre for Parliamentary Research and Documentation -ECPRD

Annexes

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Preface

This is the second annual report on developments in interparliamentary cooperation between the European Parliament and national Parliaments following the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon. The 2012 annual report logically builds on the first report, which covered developments in 2010 and 2011.

Interparliamentary cooperation in 2012 clearly showed that despite the diversity between Parliaments a lot can be achieved whenever there is a willingness to compromise and to reach agreement based on a consensual approach.

First and foremost, consensus-based negotiations enabled a breakthrough regarding the parliamentary scrutiny of Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) at the Conference of Speakers of the Parliaments of the EU (EUSC) in Warsaw. The first Interparliamentary Conference for CFSP and CSDP took place in September 2012 and the EP was a key contributor to its success by closely cooperating with the Cypriot Presidency on all organisational aspects and offering its expertise during the process of drafting and adopting the Conference's Rules of Procedure. As regards the EUSC, which is the steering body of interparliamentary cooperation, an interesting and ongoing trend since the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon is that its agenda is becoming more political, resulting in conclusions which increasingly have political consequences.

The distinct trend towards a more consensual approach within the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs (COSAC) had already become apparent during the Polish Presidency of COSAC in 2011. At the plenary meeting in Copenhagen the EP chose to have its dissenting opinion on a specific issue explicitly mentioned in the minutes, rather than to abstain or vote against. At the plenary meeting in Nicosia two delegations of national Parliaments acted similarly. COSAC was also successful in promoting the exchange of information and best practices between national Parliaments and the European Parliament, for instance by inviting EP keynote speakers at its plenary meetings.

The "yellow card" procedure was triggered for the first time in 2012, more than two years after the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon. National Parliaments’ submissions, and reasoned opinions in particular, provide a valuable source of information on concerns that should be taken seriously. The benefits from the early warning mechanism for the European Parliament can be significant. National Parliaments´ positions are often good indicators of positions that will be taken in the Council, while their reasoning can be a useful additional source of information for the legislative work of EP committees. That is why the EP launched an initiative to enhance the visibility of national Parliaments' reasoned opinions and contributions within the EP.

Interparliamentary Committee Meetings (ICM) remain a most appropriate format for Members of specialised EP committees and corresponding committees of national Parliaments, including EP rapporteurs and their counterparts in national Parliaments, to meet on specific dossiers. The right timing for such meetings is crucial. A telling example was the first interparliamentary conference on the European Semester in

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February 2012, which was hosted by the EP under the auspices of the committees on Economic and Monetary Affairs, Budgets and Employment and Social Policy. In this context it should be underlined that the economic, financial and sovereign debt crisis and the subsequent multiple and far-reaching decisions on economic governance taken at EU level have united the EP and national Parliaments in their concerns about the tendency to marginalise the role of parliaments in this field and the double democratic deficit which this may entail. These common concerns explain the success of interparliamentary meetings on related issues.

In 2012 bilateral visits continued to be a flexible ad hoc formula that was used rather frequently. Recent technical developments should give an additional boost to videoconferencing as a tool for interparliamentary dialogue.

The overall better performance and improved visibility of the platform for Interparliamentary EU information exchange (IPEX) is well illustrated by the findings of a survey that was part of the 17th Bi-annual Report of COSAC. Parliaments mentioned IPEX as the second most commonly used source of information on other Parliaments. The same survey shows that the European Centre for Parliamentary Research and Documentation (ECPRD) ranks on an excellent second position in the category "additional sources or networks used to gather information".The EP itself has largely benefited from the ECPRD network, either to collect data for studies and notes or to obtain input for projects to boost the EP's efficiency in certain areas.

The Treaty of Lisbon bestowed more powers on both the EP and national Parliaments, which - each at their level - represent the very same citizens. Parliaments should therefore, whilst fully respecting their respective competencies and levels of responsibility, work together to ensure the democratic legitimacy of decisions through a constructive, consensus-based interparliamentary dialogue.

We hope that you will find this report useful.

Miguel Ángel Martínez Martínez Othmar Karas Vice-President Vice-President

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1. Introduction

This annual report first identifies a number of key developments and trends in interparliamentary cooperation that demonstrate how the ongoing interaction between Parliaments within the framework of the Treaty of Lisbon yields tangible and promising results. It goes on to analyse developments and trends in the field of institutional parliamentary cooperation, Interparliamentary Committee Meetings and other related meetings. The chapter on the early warning mechanism shows what the European Parliament (EP) has done and can do to make national Parliaments' feedback more visible whilst benefiting from it in its own legislative work. Finally, as tools for the exchange of information and networking between Parliaments, IPEX and ECPRD have become increasingly successful.

The Annexes to the second report provide detailed factual information on meetings in 2012 and documents submitted by national Parliaments. They are, of course, not only about figures, but also about the people behind them. This is particularly true for IPEX and ECPRD, which are all too often perceived as mere "technical platforms", while they regularly bring together the people who actually make things work.

2. Key developments and trends in interparliamentary cooperation

2.1 The first Interparliamentary Conference for Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP)

While the extraordinary Conference of Speakers of the Parliaments of the EU (EUSC)in Stockholm in December 2009 had concluded that no new institutions or structures for interparliamentary cooperation were needed, the Belgian EUSC presidency, following the dissolution of the WEU Assembly as of 30 June 2011, decided to explore the establishment of regular conferences between parliamentary committees dealing with European affairs, foreign affairs and defence in cooperation with the EP.

It took more than a year of negotiations before a comprehensive agreement on the Interparliamentary Conference for CFSP and CSDP was reached at the April 2012 EUSC in Warsaw. Key features are the size of delegations (16 for the European Parliament and 6 for each national Parliament) and the EP's close cooperation with the Parliament of the EU Council Presidency which is in charge of preparing, organising and presiding the Conference. The Conference will meet every six months, either in the country that holds the EU Council Presidency or in the EP.

The first Interparliamentary Conference for CFSP and CSDP was organised in Paphos on 9-11 September 2012 by the Cypriot House of Representatives. It focused on the Arab Spring and prospects for further cooperation on CSDP. For the EP this conference was a positive experience both in terms of the working methods for future meetings and the substance of the debate with distinguished speakers including Ms Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Mr Bernardino León, EU Special Representative for the Southern Mediterranean region, Ms Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus and Mr Demetris Eliades, Minister

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of Defence of Cyprus. Throughout the Conference the EP was seen as a key contributor to its successful outcome. Indeed, the EP closely cooperated with the Cypriot Presidency in preparing and organising the Conference. Moreover, it offered its good offices during the process of drafting and adopting the Rules of Procedure, which are in line with the Conclusions of the EUSC in Warsaw.

2.2 The first yellow card on a Commission proposal

In 2012, for the first time since the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, a Commission proposal triggered the so-called "yellow card" procedure. By 22 May 2012, the deadline for national Parliaments to respond, the Commission proposal for a Council regulation on the "exercise of the right to take collective action within the context of the freedom of establishment and the freedom to provide services" (the so-called "Monti II" proposal) had been the object of 12 reasoned opinions. These voiced a number of concerns of national Parliaments, inter alia on the well-foundedness of the legal basis, the possible negative impact on the system of industrial relations in Member States, national labour law issues and the insufficient justification of the needand objectives of EU action. Together they represented 19 votes out of the total of 54 votes allocated to national Parliaments, i.e. more than one third. Pursuant to the Treaty of Lisbon the Commission was thus obliged to review its proposal and to decidewhether to maintain, modify or withdraw it1.

On 12 September 2012 the Commission decided to withdraw its proposal, although not on the grounds of non-compliance with the subsidiarity principle, but because it had concluded that it was unlikely to "gather the necessary political support within the EP and the Council to enable its adoption".

2.3 The role of Parliaments in the Union's new economic governance

2012 was dominated by the continuing economic, financial and debt crisis and by the attempts at EU level to coin a policy and legal framework able to bring order and avoid similar situations in the future. The sovereign debt crisis has led to significant changes in economic governance over the last two years, which saw the creation of the European Stability Mechanism through the modification of the existing Treaties (Article 136 TFEU), the new Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance andother legislative measures that will step up the surveillance of economic and fiscal policies in the EU.

In December 2012 the European Council adopted a roadmap for the completion of the Economic and Monetary Union that will transform European governance considerably. These measures have already raised concerns about their democratic legitimacy and accountability. As President Schulz stated at his first European Council2: "a fiscal union without parliamentary control is unacceptable".

1 Article 7 of Protocol 2 to the Treaty of Lisbon2 On 30 January 2012

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A consensus has emerged in the European Council that the general objective remains to ensure democratic legitimacy and accountability at the level at which decisions are taken and implemented. The recently adopted roadmap towards a genuine EMU requires appropriate democratic legitimacy and accountability of decision-making which only the European Parliament can provide at the European level and only national Parliaments can provide at the national level, by exercising their respective roles in the budgetary domain. In this context, interparliamentary cooperation has a crucial complementary role to play in order to reinforce the coherence of the whole system of democratic legitimacy. The European Council on 13 December 2012 noted that "further integration of policy making and greater pooling of competences must be accompanied by a commensurate involvement of the European Parliament", thereby recognising that the European Parliament has a key role when it comes to accountability of actions at the Union level in the future EMU architecture3.

The position of the European Parliament on the European Semester – which testifies of its commitment to further develop interparliamentary cooperation in the field of economic governance - is that "the ex ante coordination of economic policies carried out as part of the European Semester must be combined with guarantees that the national Parliaments and the European Parliament will be involved and will be able to exercise scrutiny".4 Following a report on the European Semester5, the EP proceeded to host the first interparliamentary conference on the subject under the auspices of the committees on Economic and Monetary Affairs, on Budgets and on Employment and Social Policy, with the support of the Directorate for Relations with National Parliaments. The two-day event, which took place at the end of February 2012, brought together 68 Members of national Parliaments from 24 Member States, who discussed with MEPs matters of common concern relating to the Union’s framework for economic governance.

A follow-up meeting, the European Parliamentary Week on the European Semester,was scheduled for January 20136 . It is worth noting in this context that the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance (the so-called Fiscal Compact), and in particular its Article 137, includes provisions on interparliamentary cooperation which open up new possibilities for cooperation in the framework of economic governance.

3. Institutional parliamentary cooperation

3.1 The Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs (COSAC)

COSAC was established in May 1989 at a meeting in Madrid, where the Speakers of EU Parliaments agreed to bring together their Committees on European Affairs as a

3 The role which should be played by the European Parliament throughout all related processes is underlined in its resolution of 20 November 2012 on the report of the Presidents of the European Council, the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the Eurogroup "Towards a genuine Economic and Monetary Union"4 13 December 2012 speech of EP President Martin Schulz to the European Council5 European Parliament: ´Resolution on the European Semester Policy Coordination’, P7_TA(2011)0542, 1 December 20116 See also 4.1 par. 77 See also 3.1, par. 6

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means to strengthen the role of Parliaments regarding European issues. It first met in November 1989 in Paris. Meetings take place twice per semester. COSAC was formally recognised in Protocol (No 1) to the Treaty of Amsterdam on the role of national Parliaments in the EU, which came into force on 1 May 1999. It is unique in that it is the only forum for interparliamentary cooperation enshrined in the Treaty of Lisbon. The Parliament of the Member State that holds the EU Presidency plays a leading role at all stages of COSAC.

The distinct trend towards a more consensual approach within COSAC since the Polish Presidency of COSAC in 2011 is well illustrated by the EP delegation's stanceduring the plenary meeting in Copenhagen in April 2012. In order to enable the smooth adoption of the Contribution and Conclusions by consensus rather than by voting the EP delegation chose to have its dissenting opinion8 explicitly mentioned in the minutes by a reference to Article 230 TFEU. At the plenary meeting in Nicosia two delegations of national Parliaments chose to act in a similar way

By means of promoting the exchange of information and best practices between national Parliaments and the European Parliament, COSAC succeeded in reinforcing the EU interparliamentary dimension, as well as the need for both the EP and national Parliaments to be actively involved in the democratic scrutiny of the European Semester9.

As a rule, plenary meetings of COSAC are preceded by preparatory meetings of political groups in which Members of the EP delegation have a key role by either presiding or co-presiding most of them. The overall usefulness of these meetings is generally acknowledged.

The invitation by both COSAC Presidencies of keynote speakers from the European Parliament to address plenary meetings consolidated developments since the Hungarian Presidency of COSAC in the first semester of 2011. In 2012 three EP committee Chairs (Mr. Harbour, Mr. Casini, Ms. Berès) shared their expertise with national Parliaments in COSAC plenary meetings, which resulted in a more genuine interparliamentary dialogue (→ Annex I for a list of topics and keynote speakers).

While Bi-annual Reports of COSAC mainly deal with issues of parliamentary scrutiny, politically relevant issues, too, increasingly find their way to these reports.The 17th Bi-annual Report includes an overview of what national Parliaments have done in relation to the European Commission's new Single Market Act. The 18th Bi-annual Report builds on this and also deals with the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance (TSCG) and notably its Article 1310, analysing Parliaments’ replies11

to questions on – inter alia – the appropriate forum for interparliamentary cooperation

8 On the issue of the possibility for national Parliaments to submit written requests to the Commission9 See also 2.3 and 4.1 par. 610 "As provided for in Title II of Protocol No 1 on the role of national Parliaments in the European Union annexed to the European Union Treaties, the European Parliament and the national Parliaments of the Contracting Parties will together determine the organisation and promotion of a conference of representatives of the relevant committees of the European Parliament and representatives of the relevant committees of national Parliaments in order to discuss budgetary policies and other issues covered by this Treaty."11 In 2012 all national Parliaments of the EU Members States (40 Chambers in total) and the European Parliament replied to the questionnaires for the 17th and 18th Bi-annual Reports of COSAC

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in this field and its composition12. The findings of these reports can thus be instrumental in establishing a relevant, focused agenda for future interparliamentary meetings.13

3.2 The Conference of Speakers of the Parliaments of the EU (EUSC)

The EUSC is the steering body of interparliamentary cooperation and meets in the spring of each year in the country that held the EU Council Presidency during the second semester of the previous year. The EUSC is preceded by a preparatory meeting of the Secretaries General of the participating countries.14

Participants in the Warsaw EUSC which reached a comprehensive agreement on the Interparliamentary Conference for CFSP/CSDP (→ 2.1) also called on national Parliaments and the EP to help rebuild a coherent and solidarity-based Union, acknowledging that the EU needs responsible and cooperating Parliaments, which should act as architects and leaders of an integrated Europe. The EUSC will most probably continue to be an important forum for debate on issues such as the democratic accountability of economic policy coordination and governance through cooperation between national Parliaments and the EP (including the implementation of the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union) and the scrutiny of Europol's activities and evaluation of Eurojust's activities by parliaments.

Regarding the role of media in parliamentary democracies, the EUSC underlined the importance of maximum transparency and accurate and timely information on parliamentary activities. The Speakers also welcomed the increased efforts and means to promote IPEX (→ 6.1) as the main technical support instrument for the exchange of information between EU Parliaments and with European institutions on EU related issues.

3.3 Relations with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)

The European Conference of Presidents of Parliaments15 took place in Strasbourg from 20 to 21 September. EP President Schulz was represented by Vice-President Martínez, who took actively part in the debates and had a bilateral meeting with PACE President Mignon to discuss the state of relations between the EP and the PACE.

The conference discussed three major themes. The future of the European Court of Human Rights was the object of a lively debate. The Speakers agreed that necessary legislation should be adopted and better parliamentary scrutiny of human rights issues

12 In this context it is worth noting that Mr Casini, Chair of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs of the European Parliament, stated in his keynote speech in the Nicosia plenary meeting that Article 13 de facto confirms the existing practice of interparliamentary meetings between the EP and national parliaments, especially on the European Semester13 See also 4.1, par. 714 All documents relating to EUSCs and the preparatory meetings of Secretaries General can be accessed via the IPEX website www.ipex.eu15 Which is organised by the Council of Europe every two years and should not be confused with the EUSC

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should be ensured in order to avoid the submission of repetitive cases to the Court. A second topic was the question whether the representative democracy was in crisis and how to deal with it. Finally, participants exchanged views on the "Arab Spring" and lessons to be learnt. The conference also unanimously approved a proposal to grant "Partners for Democracy" membership to the Parliament of Morocco and the Palestinian Legislative Council.16

On 7 November 2012 the EP's Conference of Presidents chaired by EP President Schulz had its annual meeting with the Presidential Committee of the PACE led by its President, Mr Mignon. On this occasion, EP President Schulz proposed that the Secretaries-General of the EP and the PACE explore ways of reinforcing cooperation and exchange of information and present concrete proposals in view of the joint EP/PACE meeting in 2013.

4. Interparliamentary meetings

4.1 Interparliamentary Committee Meetings (ICM) - more focused exchanges between experts

ICMs are meetings that are organised at the initiative of one or more EP committees and bring together Members of specialised EP committees and corresponding committees of national Parliaments. 17

As in previous years, the most appreciated meetings in 2012 were those with the most precisely defined agendas featuring clearly grouped topics and leaving enough time for debate between parliamentarians. An example is the joint meeting of the Bureau High-Level Group on Gender Equality and Diversity and the EP Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality in October, which focused on efforts of the European and national Parliaments to promote gender equality in their administrations and through legislation. Its timing ahead of the presentation of the Commission's proposal on the representation of women on company boards was very appropriate.

ICMs in 2012 focused mainly on the reform proposals covering key EU policies and legislative issues for the 2014-2020 period18. As illustrated in the precedingparagraph, the timing of meetings is key to their success. Meetings were therefore mostly scheduled to coincide with the drafting or finalisation phase of legislative reports at committee stage, thus enabling national Parliaments to voice their views and concerns at important stages.

A total of 302 Members of national Parliaments participated in the 10 ICMs that were organised in 2012 and covered issues ranging from the European Semester for economic policy coordination19 - for which the three most directly concerned EP

16 See also 6.2, par.417 These meetings should not be confused with Joint Committee Meetings (JCM) or Joint Parliamentary Meetings (JPM) which are jointly organised by the European Parliament and the Parliament of the country that holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU. In 2012 no such meetings took place18 See Annex II for a full overview of meetings and attendance by Members of national Parliaments19 See also 2.3, par. 4 and Annex II

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committees joined forces - over the EU data protection framework reform and the Rio+20 Summit to the future cohesion policy.

On the occasion of the ICM on the Common Agricultural Policy reform held on 25 June 2012 a pilot project "Communicating national Parliaments' EU policies" was launched. Input from national Parliaments regarding their positions on the Commission's reform proposals was compiled in a booklet that was made available to all participants..

In addition to the ICMs, some EP committees preferred to invite MPs to key debates as part of their regular meetings. The Foreign Affairs Committee, for instance, invited the Chairs of corresponding committees of national Parliaments to participate in anexchange of views with the Secretary General of NATO ahead of the Chicago summit, while the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs invited its national Parliament counterparts to its September 2012 debate on the cycle of the European Semester. In a similar vein, other EP committees invited Members of national Parliaments to events like expert hearings or workshops, in which they participated alongside other stakeholders.

2012 also saw the organisation of meetings that fall outside the established formats of interparliamentary cooperation20, such as the high-level conference on the Multi-annual Financial Framework in March 2012, which was co-organised by the EP and other EU institutions with the participation of national Parliaments. The EP has also proposed the organisation of a Parliamentary Week in the framework of the European Semester each year before the Spring European Council, followed later by an event at the level of Committee Chairs. The objective of the first Parliamentary Week -scheduled for 28-30 January 2013 at the EP in Brussels - is to generate a new kind of interparliamentary meeting that takes the working calendars of both the EP and national Parliaments duly into account and allows MEPs and MPs to debate together the European Commission's annual growth survey and related issues.

4.2 Bilateral visits - a flexible and efficient formula

A more informal and focused dialogue can also be fostered through direct contacts between MEPs and MPs working on the same or similar issues (e.g. between rapporteurs), and through bilateral working visits or videoconferences (→ 4.3) for which the Directorate for Relations with National Parliaments provides specialised assistance and advice. As in 2011, bilateral visits were rather frequent. Annex III gives a full overview of the 43 bilateral visits in 2012, in which 125 MEPs, 208 MPs and 190 staff participated.

4.3 Videoconferencing - technology for ad-hoc dialogue

Videoconferencing is becoming increasingly popular as it saves both time and money and has a lot of potential. In the autumn of 2012, EP services successfully concluded a

20 See Annex II for an overview of these meetings

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pilot project on videoconferences with top quality image and sound and interpretation into up to four languages. This should give an additional boost to this tool for interparliamentary dialogue. An example of the possibilities offered by videoconferencing is the meeting between the EP "sherpas"21 in the conference negotiating the Stability Treaty and the Italian Chamber of Deputies and Senate in January 2012, which allowed the MEPs to brief their Italian counterparts as soon as the negotiations had been concluded22.

5. The "early warning mechanism" - Protocol No 2 to the Treaty of Lisbon

Pursuant to Protocol No 2 to the Treaty of Lisbon national Parliaments have a right of scrutiny of proposed EU legislation falling under the shared competence of the EU and Member States. The same Protocol sets out a procedure for compulsory review (by the Commission) of a draft proposal if a sufficiently large number of reasoned opinions are received (→2.2).

The mechanism under Protocol No 2 is formally limited to questions on subsidiarity.Nevertheless, national Parliaments have used this window of opportunity to routinely transmit to the EU institutions their views on a much broader range of issues beyond subsidiarity.

The European Parliament, for its part, has taken a series of initiatives to fulfil its legal obligations under the Treaty and promote constructive interparliamentary relations in the process. These include modifications to its Rules of Procedure, translation of all reasoned opinions and their publication and dissemination to parliamentary committees.23 Furthermore, following an exchange of letters in April 2012 between the Speaker of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Gianfranco Fini, and the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, the EP proceeded to a number of steps to further enhance the visibility and impact of national Parliaments' reasoned opinions and contributions.24

Overall, draft legislative proposals published in 2012 yielded a somewhat higher number of reasoned opinions as compared to previous years25. However, the ratio between reasoned opinions and contributions since the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon (174 to 954 on a total of 320 EU draft legislative acts)26 clearly shows that national Parliaments are not inclined to use Protocol No 2 in order to stall the European decision-making process, but rather see it as a means to assess the merits of political and legislative choices at EU level.

21 MEPs Elmar Brok, Roberto Gualtieri and Guy Verhofstadt, who were appointed by the Conference of Presidents22 `For videoconferences organised in 2012 see Annex III23 An intranet database containing all reasoned opinions and other contributions received by national Parliaments is regularly updated by the Directorate for Relations with National Parliaments24 These include (a) a monthly update of all MEPs on the state of play regarding reasoned opinions and contributions submitted by national Parliaments (this is done by the Directorate for Relations with National Parliaments ahead of the meeting of the Conference of Committee Chairs) and (b) a link to a database on reasoned opinions and contributions (http://www.presnet.ep.parl.union.eu/presnet/cms/Legislative-Activities/Subsidiarity),on the "e-committee" intranet pages, which are also accessible to the representatives of national Parliaments in the EP premises in Brussels25 See Annex IV for statistical data on the early warning mechanism26 Data as at 31 December 2012

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6. Tools for exchanging information and networking

6.1 Interparliamentary EU information exchange - IPEX

IPEX is a platform for the mutual exchange of information between national Parliaments and the European Parliament concerning issues related to the European Union, especially in light of the provisions of the Treaty of Lisbon.27

In 2012, much has been done to promote the revamped IPEX website following its launch in June 2011, including the organisation of training sessions for all national correspondents. Links to the IPEX website are now provided for each report on the EP's "e-committee" and "Legislative Observatory" intranet pages. 2012 also saw a significant increase of downloads (+40%) as compared to 2011, while the number of hits exceeded a record 17 million. Finally, 3800 scrutiny related pages were uploaded by national Parliaments.

Combined efforts - a more user-friendly website, its promotion and the work of national correspondents - resulted in an overall better performance and improved visibility of IPEX as an important tool for interparliamentary cooperation28. Another welcome development is that - in line with the Conclusions of the EU Speakers Conference in Warsaw - national Parliaments provide an increasing number of translations and/or summaries of important decisions in English and/or French. National Parliaments have also started using the recently added "News" section, where they can post any news they believe to be of importance to other Parliaments, such as the notification of the ratification of the "Fiscal Compact" or of the amended Art.136 of the Treaty of Lisbon.

The 17th Bi-annual Report of COSAC summarizes the replies of national Parliamentsand the EP to a comprehensive set of questions on IPEX. It reveals inter alia that staff of 36 out of 40 Parliaments/Chambers use IPEX on a daily or weekly basis as a source of information and that IPEX is the second most commonly used source of information on other Parliaments. Furthermore, an overwhelming majority of Parliaments/Chambers upload reasoned opinions and opinions within the framework of the political dialogue either on the day of adoption or within two days following adoption.

Apart from the EP's substantial contribution to the running of the website throughout 2012 in terms of technical advice and (financial) support, several resolutions and other EP texts have highlighted the importance of IPEX and its further promotion as a valuable tool for interparliamentary cooperation and notably for the exchange of information relating to scrutiny procedures.

6.2 European Centre for Parliamentary Research and Documentation - ECPRD

The ECPRD is a tool for interparliamentary cooperation and exchange of information based on voluntary cooperation between specialised parliamentary staff of participating countries. Comparative requests allowing parliaments to learn more 27 For more information see www.ipex.eu28 Meetings on IPEX are organised on a regular basis. For the full list of IPEX meetings in 2012 see Annex V

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about each other's practices and policies, as well as seminars and surveys by individual Parliaments on specific topics, are the Centre's core business.

The ECPRD network saw another substantial rise in the number of comparative requests in 2012. No less than 297 requests on complex legal and parliamentary topics were transmitted by member parliaments to the network in 2012. Correspondents provided 6811 replies. It is therefore of the utmost importance that all members respect the guidelines and turn to the network only as a last resort.

The EP has largely benefited from the ECPRD network, too. In 2012 alone it transmitted 16 requests29 on a broad variety of parliamentary, procedural, technical and administrative topics, either to collect data for studies and notes requested by political bodies or to obtain relevant input for projects to boost the EP's efficiency in certain areas.

At their meeting in Strasbourg on 21 September 201230, the Secretaries General opened the door to ECPRD to the Parliament of Morocco and the Palestinian Legislative Council by granting them the right to nominate correspondents, to search the ECPRD website and to attend ECPRD events. However, they are not entitled to transmit requests to the network.This is a direct consequence of the initiative of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to offer "Partner for Democracy"status to these parliaments31.

Last but not least, the financial commitment of the EP and the close cooperation with the Directorate General for Innovation and Technological Support made it possible to refurbish the event pages on the ECPRD website, resulting in more visibility for the hosting Parliament, an improved presentation of the content and increased time-efficiency thanks to an electronic registration tool.

29 For the full list of EP requests to the ECPRD network see Annex VI30 On the occasion of the European Conference of Presidents of Parliaments in Strasbourg (→3.3), organised by the Council of Europe and not be confused with the EUSC (→3.2)31 The Secretaries General decided to review the ECPRD status of both Parliaments and possible changes to the ECPRD Statute at their next meeting in Oslo in 2014.

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ANNEX TO THE 2012 ANNUAL REPORT

I. COSAC Meetings - Topics and Keynote SpeakersII. Interparliamentary Committee Meetings and other

interparliamentary meetingsIII. Bilateral Visits (including videoconferences)IV. Early Warning Mechanism DataV. IPEX MeetingsVI. ECPRD: List of comparative requests launched by the

EP & List of Seminars and Statutory Meetings

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good

s, p

eopl

e,

serv

ices

and

cap

ital

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mar

t, S

usta

inab

le

and

Incl

usiv

e G

row

th

in

Eur

ope

!A

Sin

gle

Mar

ket f

or S

ervi

ces

-ful

l im

plem

enta

tion

of th

e S

ervi

ces

Dire

ctiv

e

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usta

inab

le G

row

th -

prom

otin

g th

e tra

nsiti

on t

o a

reso

urce

effi

cien

t eco

nom

y in

Eur

ope

!Th

e D

igita

l Sin

gle

Mar

ket

!M

r Jos

éM

anue

l BAR

RO

SO, P

resi

dent

of t

he E

urop

ean

Com

mis

sion

!M

sH

elle

TH

OR

NIN

G-S

CH

MID

T, P

rime

Min

iste

r of

Den

mar

k!

MrM

iche

l BAR

NIE

R, C

omm

issi

oner

for I

nter

nal M

arke

t an

d S

ervi

ces

MrM

alco

lm H

AR

BO

UR

, Cha

ir of

the

Com

mitt

ee fo

r In

tern

al M

arke

t and

Con

sum

er P

rote

ctio

n in

the

Eur

opea

n P

arlia

men

t!

MrJ

anez

PO

TOČ

NIK

, Com

mis

sion

er fo

r Env

ironm

ent

!M

s N

eelie

KR

OES

, Vic

e-P

resi

dent

of t

he E

urop

ean

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mis

sion

, Com

mis

sion

er fo

r the

Dig

ital A

gend

aM

eetin

g of

the

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irper

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OSA

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8-9

July

201

2, L

imas

sol

!P

riorit

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of th

e C

ypru

s P

resi

denc

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the

Cou

ncil

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urop

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on!

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gy 2

020

Stra

tegy

–Se

curit

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ply

!M

rAnd

reas

MAV

RO

YIAN

NIS

, Dep

uty

Min

iste

r for

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A

ffairs

!M

r Gün

ther

OET

TIN

GER

,EU

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mis

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r Ene

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tate

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ritie

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opea

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nion

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om w

ords

to

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n: m

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ore

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pe”

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nerg

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f Sup

ply

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rope

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nanc

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r And

reas

MAV

RO

YIAN

NIS

, Dep

uty

Min

iste

r for

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A

ffairs

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r Mar

oš Š

EFČ

OVIČ

, Vic

e-Pr

esid

ent o

f the

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opea

n C

omm

issi

on fo

r Int

er-in

stitu

tiona

l Rel

atio

ns a

nd

Adm

inis

tratio

n,

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arlo

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SIN

I, C

hairm

an o

f the

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stitu

tiona

l Affa

irs

Com

mitt

ee o

f the

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opea

n Pa

rliam

ent

!M

r Sol

on K

ASSI

NIS

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ctor

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nerg

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ervi

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inis

try

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omm

erce

, Ind

ustry

and

Tou

rism

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s Pe

rven

che

BER

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hairw

oman

of t

he C

omm

ittee

on

Em

ploy

men

t and

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ial A

ffairs

of t

he E

urop

ean

Par

liam

ent

!M

r Pie

rre D

ELSA

UX,

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uty

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ctor

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eral

, Dire

ctor

ate

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eral

, Int

erna

l Mar

ket a

nd S

ervi

ces,

Eur

opea

n C

omm

issi

on

16

AN

NEX

IIEP

Inte

rpar

liam

enta

ry C

omm

ittee

Mee

tings

with

Nat

iona

l Par

liam

ents

Stat

istic

al in

form

atio

n fo

r 201

2

EP

Com

mitt

eeE

vent

Dat

eM

embe

rs o

f N

atio

nal

Parl

iam

ents

Mem

ber

Stat

es

Rep

rese

nted

AFE

TFo

reig

n A

ffair

s Com

mitt

eeT

he A

rab

revo

lutio

n: o

ne y

ear

late

r -D

ebat

e w

ith th

e pa

rtic

ipat

ion

of N

P 24

Janu

ary

1210

EC

ON

/BU

DG

/EM

PLE

cono

mic

and

Mon

etar

y A

ffair

s C

omm

ittee

/Bud

gets

C

omm

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/Em

ploy

men

t and

Soc

ial

Aff

airs

Com

mitt

ee

The

Eur

opea

n Se

mes

ter

for

Eco

nom

ic P

olic

y C

oord

inat

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27 &

28

Febr

uary

6824

PEC

HFi

sher

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omm

ittee

Ref

orm

of t

he C

omm

on F

isher

ies P

olic

y: th

e op

inio

n of

Nat

iona

l Pa

rlia

men

ts28

Feb

ruar

y38 +2

20+N

ordi

c C

ounc

ilFE

MM

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en's

Rig

hts a

nd G

ende

r E

qual

ity

Com

mitt

ee

Equ

al p

ay fo

r w

ork

of e

qual

val

ue8

Mar

ch23 +5

14+C

roat

ia, T

urke

y

EN

VI

Env

iron

men

t, Pu

blic

Hea

lth a

nd F

ood

Safe

ty C

omm

ittee

Tow

ards

the

Rio

+20

Sum

mit

21 M

arch

3319

AFE

TFo

reig

n A

ffair

s Com

mitt

eeE

xcha

nge

of v

iew

s with

And

ers F

ogh

Ras

mus

sen,

SG

of N

AT

O, o

n E

U-N

AT

O r

elat

ions

ahe

ad o

f the

NA

TO

Chi

cago

Sum

mit

with

the

part

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n of

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23 A

pril

75

AG

RI

Agr

icul

ture

and

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al D

evel

opm

ent

Com

mitt

ee

The

Ref

orm

of t

he C

omm

on A

gric

ultu

ral P

olic

y (C

AP)

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ne46

21

LIB

EC

ivil

Lib

ertie

s, Ju

stic

e an

d H

ome

Affa

irs

Com

mitt

ee

The

ref

orm

of t

he E

U D

ata

Prot

ectio

n Fr

amew

ork:

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ldin

gT

rust

in

a D

igita

l and

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bal W

orld

9 &

10

Oct

ober

34 +217

+Nor

way

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GI

Reg

iona

l Dev

elop

men

t Com

mitt

eeT

owar

ds a

Com

mon

Str

ateg

ic F

ram

ewor

k an

d Pa

rtne

rshi

p C

ontr

acts

in th

e co

ntex

t of t

he F

utur

e C

ohes

ion

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y 20

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-vi

ews a

nd r

ole

of n

atio

nal P

arlia

men

ts

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ctob

er26

16

JUR

IL

egal

Aff

airs

Com

mitt

eeT

he P

ropo

sal f

or a

Com

mon

Eur

opea

n Sa

les L

aw: t

akin

g st

ock

afte

r a

year

27 N

ovem

ber

15 +110

+Nor

way

10 IC

Ms

302

MPs

+10

17

Oth

er in

terp

arlia

men

tary

mee

tings

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istic

al in

form

atio

n fo

r 201

2

Eve

ntD

ate

Mem

bers

of

Nat

iona

l Pa

rlia

men

ts

Mem

ber

Stat

es

Rep

rese

nted

EU

Mul

tiann

ual F

inan

cial

Fra

mew

ork

and

Ow

n R

esou

rces

22 M

arch

4221

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201

2 cy

cle

of th

e E

urop

ean

Sem

este

r" E

xcha

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of v

iew

s with

NP

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epte

mbe

r16

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int M

eetin

g of

the

Hig

h L

evel

Gro

up o

n G

ende

r E

qual

ity a

nd D

iver

sity

and

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M C

omm

ittee

A

ssoc

iatin

g th

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urea

u W

orki

ng G

roup

on

Com

mun

icat

ion

with

Cou

nter

part

s fro

m N

atio

nal

Parl

iam

ents

."G

ende

r E

qual

ity*W

hat d

o th

e Pa

rlia

men

ts o

f the

Eur

opea

n U

nion

Do-

An

Exc

hang

e of

Bes

t Pra

ctic

es"

3 O

ctob

er21 +3

15+C

roat

ia, T

urke

y,

FYR

OM

79M

Ps+3

18

ANNEX III

ANNEX IIIDate Site Country /

Chamber Committee / Other Type of visit

JANUARY23-24-Jan BXL Finland

EduskuntaAssociation of Finnish MPs and researchers

Members´ Working Visit

24-Jan BXL ItalyParliament, Senate & Chamber

Committee on Foreign Affairs+ European Affairs

Videoconference 11h30 -13h00 (4 MEPs)

FEBRUARY

01-Feb BXLUnited KingdomHouse of Lords

Facilities Department Working visit by the Director of Facilities Department

6-8-Feb BXL United KingdomHouse of Commons

International Development Committee

Working lunch

08-Feb BXL ItalyChamber

Committee on Finance + EU Affairs Videoconference 14h00-15h30

09-Feb BXL SwedenRiksadgen

Working visit by officials

10-Feb BXLUnited KingdomHouse of Lords

Committee Office

MARCH

05-Mar BXL NetherlandsEerste Kamer

Committee on European Affairs & other

Working Lunch

05-Mar BXL NetherlandsTweede Kamer

Defence Committee Members' Visit

06-Mar BXL IrelandParliament

Joint Oirechtas Committee on European Affairs

Working visit by Dominic Hannigan,Chairman, Joint Committee on European Union Affairs

21-Mar BXL AustriaBundesrat

Visit of the President of the Bundesrat

Visit by Mr Hammerl

27-29-Mar BXL Czech RepublicChamber of Deputies

Committee on Mandate and Immunity

Members´ Visit

APRILMAY

JUNE

05-Jun BXL FinlandEduskunta

Grand Committee of the Finnish Parliament

Members´ Working Visit

06-Jun BXL Italy Camera dei Diputati

Italian Parliament Camera dei Deputati

Videoconference

26-27 June BXL United KingdomHouse of Lords

EU Committee Visit by Lord Boswell, Chairman

26-Jun BXL Nordic Council Welfare Committee Members' Visit

28-29June BXLUnited KingdomHouse of Commons

Public information office Working visit by officials

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

05-Sep BXL United KingdomHouse of Commons

Welsh Affairs Committee Members' Visit

06-Sep BXL NetherlandsTweede Kamer

Individual Meetings

07-Sep BXL NetherlandsTweede Kamer

EU Affairs Staff Individual Meetings

19-Sep BXL PolandSejm

Members' Visit

19

Date Site Country / Chamber Committee / Other Type of visit

OCTOBER

03-Oct United KingdomHouse of Lords Sub-Committee A - EU Economic

and Financial Affairs

Members' Visit

08-Oct BXL NetherlandsTweede Kamer

Committee on European Affairs & other

Members' Visit

09-10 Oct BXL GermanyBundestag

Committee on Family, Seniors, Women and Youth

Members' Visit

10-Oct BXL GermanyBundestag Parliamentary Advisory Board for

Sustainable Development

Members' and Experts' Visit

10-Oct BXL SwedenRijsdag Officials from the Riksdag

Administration

Working visit by officials

NOVEMBER

06-Nov AustriaNational Council

Committee on Petitions Members' Visit

07-Nov United KingdomHouse of Commons

Environmental Audit Committee Members' Visit

07-Nov United KingdomHouse of Lords

Sub-Committee E Members' Visit

07/08-Nov United KingdomHouse of Lords

Sub-Committee F Members' Visit

12-Nov BXL GermanyBundestag

Sub-committee on Health in Developing Countries

12-Nov BXLLithuania Seimas Officials from the parliamentary

committees of the SeimasWorking visit by officials

15-Nov United KingdomHouse of Commons

Clerks study visit Working visit by officials

15-Nov United KingdomHouse of Lords

Clerks study visit Working visit by officials

26-Nov United KingdomHouse of Lords

Select committee on SME exports Members' Visit

26-27 Nov FinlandThe Grand Committee

Grand Committee of the Finnish Parliament

Working visit by MEPs

26-28 Nov BXL Italian Camera dei Deputati

Officials from the Camera dei deputati

Working visit by officials

29-Nov United KingdomHouse of CommonsHouse of Lords

Tripartite meetingEuropean Scrutiny CommitteeEuropean Union Committee

Working visit by MEPs

29-30 Nov United KingdomHouse of Commons

Home Affairs Study visit Working visit by officials

DECEMBER

3-4 Dec AustriaNational Council

Clerks study visit Working visit by officials

4-5 Dec United KingdomHouse of Lords

EU Select Committee Working visit by officials

4-5 Dec BXL Lithuanian Seimas Officials from the Communication department

Working visit by officials

05-Dec ItalySenate & Chamber

Inquiry committee on illegal activities related to waste treatment Working visit by MPs

20

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS OF NATIONAL PARLIAMENTS/CHAMBERS

USED IN ANNEX IV

AT1 Austria NationalratAT2 Austria BundesratBE1 Belgium Chambre des ReprésentantsBE2 Belgium SénatBG Bulgaria Narodno sabranieCY Cyprus Vouli ton AntiprosoponCZ1 Czech Republic Poslanecká sněmovnaCZ2 Czech Republic SenátDK Denmark FolketingetEE Estonia RiigikoguFI Finland Eduskunta

FR1 France Assemblée nationaleFR2 France SénatDE1 Germany BundestagDE2 Germany BundesratEL Greece Vouli ton EllinonHU Hungary OrszággyűlésIE1 Ireland Dáil ÉireannIE2 Ireland Seanad ÉireannIT1 Italy Camera dei DeputatiIT2 Italy Senato della RepubblicaLV Latvia SaeimaLT Lithuania SeimasLU Luxembourg Chambre des DéputésMT Malta Kamra tad-DeputatiNL1 Netherlands Tweede KamerNL2 Netherlands Eerste KamerPL1 Poland SejmPL2 Poland SenatPT Portugal Assembleia da República

RO1 Romania Camera DeputaţilorRO2 Romania SenatulSK Slovak Republic Národná radaSI1 Slovenia Državni zborSI2 Slovenia Državni svetES Spain Congreso de los DiputadosES Spain SenadoSE Sweden Riksdagen

UK1 United Kingdom House of CommonsUK2 United Kingdom House of Lords

21

ANNEX IVREASONED OPINIONS by PARLIAMENTS / CHAMBERS on COMMISSION

PROPOSALS SUBMITTED IN 2012

AT1; 1 AT2; 2

BE1; 2

BE2; 0

BG; 0

CY; 3

CZ1; 0

CZ2; 0

DE1; 1

DE2; 2

DK; 1

EE; 0

EL; 0

ES; 1

FI; 1

FR1; 1

FR2; 6

HU; 0

IE1; 0

IE2; 0

IT1; 1

IT2; 1

LT; 1LU; 3LV; 1MT; 1NL; 1NL1; 4

NL2; 3

PL1; 3

PL2; 2

PT; 1

RO1; 0

RO2; 0

SE; 11

SI1; 0

SI2; 0

SK; 0

UK1; 2 UK2; 1

N.B.: On a total of 74 COM (2012) proposals assigned to the EP Committees (data as at 31.12.2012), the ratio betweenreasoned opinions and draft proposals is 0,77 (as compared to 0,49 on the total of 155 COM (2011) proposals).

CONTRIBUTIONS by PARLIAMENTS / CHAMBERS on COMMISSIONPROPOSALS SUBMITTED IN 2012

AT1; 1

AT2; 3

BE1; 5

BE2; 0

BG; 2

CY; 0

CZ1; 0

CZ2; 12DE1; 0

DE2; 15DK; 0

EE; 3

EL; 2

ES; 3

FI; 0

FR1; 0

FR2; 1

HU; 0

IE1; 0

IE2; 0

IT1; 2

IT2; 47

LT; 0

LU; 2

LV; 0

MT; 0

NL1; 0

NL2; 2

PL1; 0

PL2; 2

PT; 56

RO1; 1RO2; 1SE; 0SI1; 0SI2; 0SK; 0UK1; 1

UK2; 0

N.B.: On a total of 74 COM (2012) proposals assigned to the EP Committees (data as at 31.12.2012), the ratio betweencontributions and draft proposals is 2,17 (as compared to 3,18 on the total of 155 COM (2011) proposals).

22

051015202530354045

ECON

: COM

(201

2)51

1 an

d 51

2(B

ankin

g pro

posa

ls)

EMPL

: COM

(201

2)13

0 ("M

onti I

I"pr

opos

al)*

ENVI

: COM

(201

2)48

and 4

9(In

form

ation

to th

ege

nera

l pub

lic o

nme

dicina

l pro

ducts

)FEM

M: C

OM (2

012)

614

(Gen

der

balan

ce pr

opos

al)

LIBE

: COM

(201

2)10

and

11

(Dat

apr

otecti

on pa

ckag

e)

TRAN

: COM

(201

2)38

0, 3

81 a

nd 3

82(M

otor v

ehicl

epr

opos

als)

Com

miss

ion

prop

osals

(201

2) o

n wh

ich N

atio

nal P

arlia

men

ts su

bmitt

ed m

ost r

easo

ned

opin

ions

/cont

ribut

ions

und

er P

roto

col 2 Nr

of s

ubm

ission

sNr

of c

ontri

butio

nsNr

of r

easo

ned o

pinion

sNr

of d

raft

EU le

g. a

cts

EP C

omm

ittee

resp

onsi

ble

Num

ber o

f dra

ft EU

le

gisl

ativ

e ac

tsN

umbe

rof r

easo

ned

opin

ions

Num

bero

f co

ntrib

utio

nsTo

tal N

umbe

rof

subm

issi

ons

EMPL

: CO

M(2

012)

130

("

Mon

ti II"

pro

posa

l)*

112

416

TRA

N: C

OM

(201

2) 3

80, 3

81 a

nd 3

82

(Mot

or v

ehic

le p

ropo

sals

)3

119

20LI

BE:

CO

M(2

012)

10

and

11

(Dat

a pr

otec

tion

pack

age)

27

1017

FEM

M: C

OM

(201

2) 6

14

(Gen

der b

alan

ce p

ropo

sal)

16

17

ENVI

: CO

M(2

012)

48

and

49

(Info

rmat

ion

to th

e ge

nera

l pub

lic

on m

edic

inal

pro

duct

s)2

56

11EC

ON

: CO

M(2

012)

511

and

512

(B

anki

ng p

ropo

sals

)2

17

8*

This

pro

posa

l was

the

first

to tr

igge

r the

"yel

low

car

d" p

roce

dure

, sin

ce th

een

try in

to fo

rce

of th

e Li

sbon

Tre

aty

ANNEX V

IPEX

Meetings of the IPEX Board, Central Support and Correspondents

Date Meeting Place13 January 2012 Board Bundestag - Berlin13 January 2012 Central Support32 Bundestag - Berlin1& 2 March 2012 Central Support Folketinget - Copenhagen

4 May 2012 Central Support EP - Brussels21 June 2012 Central Support Bundestag - Berlin22 June 2012 Board Bundestag - Berlin

20-21 September 2012

Central Support Senato - Rome

15 November 2012 Central Support Tweede Kamer - The Hague

16 November 2012 Correspondents Tweede Kamer - The Hague

3 December 2012 Central Support by videoconference

Hosted by the EP services - Brussels

7 December 2012 Board EP- Brussels

32 The Central Support manages all tasks that are relevant to the IPEX website, editorial as well as technical. It comprises members from National Parliaments represented on the Board and from the European Parliament. Other national Parliaments may assist in the functioning of the Central Support.

24

ANNEX VI

ECPRD

A. Issues on which political bodies and administrative services of the European Parliament consulted the ECPRD network in 2012 through

comparative requests:

! Use of Internet Explorer 9 in parliaments! Evolution of the budgets of national parliaments in the EU! Use of the parliament's logo! Art collections in parliaments! Statistical figures on Written Questions to the government! Democratic control, transparency and modalities of vote in the National Parliaments

of the Member States and in the European Parliament! Women in senior management positions of parliaments! EP Study on the ex-post budgetary control exercised by parliaments in the EU! EU affairs units/departments in National Parliaments! Banking and financial systems in the EU - the scrutiny role of parliaments! Policy in national parliaments of making the services they provide to Members

more client oriented! Comparative overview of parliamentary immunity across EU member states! Best practices of opinion-giving committees in parliaments! Incompatibilities and immunity of Members of Parliament! Independent and democratic oversight of the police! Incompatibilities and immunity of Members of Parliament - Croatia

B. 2012 ECPRD Seminars and Statutory meetings

Event Place Date

2012 Seminars"Parli@ments on the Net X" (Area of Interest ICT in

parliaments) Madrid 31 May - 1 June

"The European Economic and Financial Crisis and the Role of Parliaments" (Area of Interest Economic and

Budgetary Affairs)Rome 7-8 June

"Members' use of information and changing visions of the Parliamentary Library" (Area of Interest Libraries,

Research Services and Archives)Copenhagen 14-15 June

"Building for parliament" (Area of Interest Libraries, Research Services and Archives) The Hague 6-7 September

"The control of governments by parliaments in the legislative process"(Area of Interest Parliamentary Practice

and Procedure)Berlin 13-14 September

"Open the window, close the door - The role of Open data, XML and Web 3.0" (Area of Interest ICT in Parliaments) Budapest 15-16 November

2012 Statutory meetings

Meeting of the Executive Committee and Coordinators Rome 16-17 September

Meeting of Secretaries General of Parliaments(in the framework of the European Conference of

Presidents of Parliament)Strasbourg 20-21 September

Annual Conference of Correspondents Athens 18-20 October